Deep Sidhu, an actor-turned-activist accused of inciting violence at the Red Fort complex in Delhi during a farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day, has been given bail.
The 36-year-old was apprehended on February 9 in Karnal, Haryana, some 100 kilometres from Delhi, days after scenes of chaos erupted at the national capital’s famed Red Fort and other locations, causing widespread outrage. Farmers accused him of attempting to derail their demonstration against three notorious farm rules.
He was given bail by a Delhi court on the condition that he sign a “special bond with two sureties of 30,000 each.” He’s already been told he has to surrender his passport and “cooperate” with investigators.
While it is beyond dispute that dissent and dialogue are essential to democracy, where the people have absolute power, which they exercise through their elected representatives, and the Indian Constitution guarantees the right to protest, the current FIR (First Information Report) does not infringe on his fundamental right to protest in any way,” a Delhi court said.
Deep Sidhu was accused of inciting confusion and clashes as demonstrators ignored agreed-upon routes and schedules on January 26 and forced their way into the Red Fort. To restore authority, police used tear gas and lathi charges after repeatedly appealing for restraint and urging protesting farmers to stand down and return to the agreed-upon roads.
“There is no proof that he mobilised the crowd to Red Fort and called for the rally,” his counsel told the court last week. “Farmers called for a rally, but I’m not a member of the farmer union, so I didn’t make a call to go to Red Fort. There is no evidence that I am the one who has gathered the crowd “On Deep Sidhu’s behalf, his lawyer told the court
He has not committed any acts of terror. And before there was any crime, he fled. He was also assisting the police, and he has never been involved in any kind of crime. Only those who have committed acts of crime will be punished. “His very appearance would not make him a member of an unconstitutional assembly,” the prosecutor claimed.
Deep Sidhu had posted videos on Facebook defending himself shortly after the attack on Republic Day, even as units of the Delhi Police’s crime branch searched for him.
“If I’m being branded a gaddar (traitor), then all farmer leaders are gaddars,” he said at the time in response to the farmer leaders. He also accused farmer leaders of backtracking on their demonstrations in one of his videos.
